Wireless communication involves transmission of encoded information on a modulated radio frequency (RF) carrier signal. In a wireless communication system, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, the communication signal is encoded as digital information and transmitted by a transmitter. The communication signal is received and decoded by a receiver. Some of the information may be encoded in the phase of the transmitted communication signal.
Many wireless communication systems carry several communication signals simultaneously. Each communication signal may be band-limited and carried on a sub-frequency band of the carrier, also called a sub-carrier “bin.” The receiver may receive the carrier and extract an individual communication signal from a sub-carrier bin.
The receiver may also demodulate the communication signal using a free-running oscillator that is independent of the transmitter carrier frequency. In addition, the receiver may periodically sample the received analog carrier signal, which includes all of the individual communication signals, and extract a particular communication signal using digital signal processing techniques. The clock frequency for sampling may be independent of the transmitter clock frequency.
Frequency and phase offsets between transmitter and receiver are generally corrected by the receiver using digital signal processing techniques. For a fast acquisition of these offsets in the receiver, a preamble signal is typically added to the start of the transmitted signal. After this acquisition and corresponding correction, the residual frequency and phase offset become small.
In some cases, however, the phase offset may not necessarily remain small. Because the receiver may demodulate the received carrier signal with an independent free-running oscillator, discrepancies between the carrier frequency and the demodulation frequency of the receiver may contribute phase rotation to the frequency domain signal. This frequency error manifests as a phase shift that increases as time progresses. In addition, the frequency domain signal can be susceptible to additive phase noise.